Pure Blood
by mustardgirl1128
Summary: Andromeda was born a Black and ended a Tonks. What about the time in between? Written for Kyota-chan's Loveboat Challenge.
1. Fireflies and Breathing

A/N: Written for the amazing Kyota's challenge—Aboard the Love Boat! So I officially dedicate this to her!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the prompt.

* * *

_Pure blood _

_An Andromeda/Ted fiction

* * *

_

_Prompts 31 and 50: Firefly and Breathe_

* * *

Mummy took me to the Muggle park one day. She wasn't so busy, and Father refused to let her stay in the house. He was 'being_ serious'. _Bella and I begged Mummy, and she never could refuse her favorite—Bella—anything.

When we got there, Mummy sniffed in her disdainful way and flounced off to sit on a bench and watch us.

I looked in wonder at the sights around me. I was only five, and I never been there before. But soon, after Bella went to play on the slide—alone—I ventured over to the box full of white powder. A little boy with blonde hair sat there, making what looked like a miniature castle.

"H—hello," I whispered nervously. I wasn't painfully shy, like Cissy (only she was just three), or outgoing, like Bella, so this type of thing was rather normal for me.

"Hi!" he said with a grin. "I'm Ted. Who're you?"

"I'm Andromeda Black. Nice to meet you." And I stuck out my hand. He grinned, and dimples appeared on his cheeks.

"Mademoiselle Black," he said, and kissed my hand.

I giggled and sat down next to him. "How old are you?" I asked.

"Me? I'm only five."

"So am I!" I said, smiling. "Are you a Muggle?"

"A what?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"Oh, I guess you are. See over there?" I pointed to the slide. "That's my sister, Bellatrix. I call her Bella, though. She's _seven!_"

He smiled at me again, though he still looked confused. "I don't have siblings. Wish I did though. You're lucky."

"I'll share. I've got a baby sister too. You can have Bella, though. I love Cissy. Even though she's smelly and she cries a lot, I love little babies. And I'm the only one who can calm her down after Auntie Walburga comes over—Cissy _hates_ Auntie Walburga. So do I, but Mummy would punish me if I told her. Mummy isn't even Auntie's sister. And Auntie's _so_ mean…"

He patted my back sympathetically. "I know how you feel. I've got a mean relative. We've got to call her Miss Priss, only not to her face. She's my dad's uncle's wife's kid from her first marriage! I don't know why we have to be so nice to them!"

I stared at him. Now _this _was a boy I'd like to get to know!

He looked at me and I looked at him, and we were quiet. I saw his chest rising and falling peacefully, rhythmically, almost as though he was asleep. _Just breathe, _I thought, and I realized how easy it was to do so.

For me, I had to always be careful. If Father got angry and began shouting, and I was the cause, I'd be sent to my room with no dinner, at best. If I interrupted him, he'd _go_ into one of his shouting fits. If I showed too much interest in Muggles, Mummy would slap me soundly. If I spent too long staring into space, Bella would laugh at me. If I didn't take good care of Cissy, she'd start bawling…and probably set Father off in the process. Whatever I did, I needed to _think_ and then _act_—only if I thought _wrong…_

But Ted looked calm—like a five-year-old should be. And as I sat next to him, _I_ felt calm too.

"Look!" he said suddenly. "Fireflies!"

And I jumped up, not a care in the world, and worked on catching one.

Ted was a lot better at it then I was. "Look," he said, showing me in his cupped hand _three_ of the little bugs.

I nodded and decided then and there that I would succeed. I _would!_

In the next moment I'd caught two in one hand. I giggled as I let them go. I'd proven myself, I could tell, because Ted was grinning at me and showing me roundabout ways to catch them—harder ways, that he himself had invented. I smiled too, and worked at it, and Ted proclaimed me, "a natural."

"Andromeda! Andromeda Black!" Mummy called shrilly, breaking through my own little piece of heaven.

"I have to go," I said, and I ran to a bunch of bars, parallel to each other.

Mummy would have killed me if she'd seen me with Ted. I was supposed to hate Muggles too…wasn't I? But _why?_ Ted was really nice! Mummy would like him if only he was a Pureblood wizard…

She called again and I realized that I'd better go to her if I was to save myself from punishment.

"Right here, Mummy!" I shouted. I jumped down and raced to her side.

She smiled thinly at me and turned to Bella, who was on her other side.

"Bellatrix, what were you doing?"

"I was all by my lonesome, Mother. I played mostly on the slide and by those bars." She pointed to where I had been moments ago.

"Yes, yes. Quite right. And Andromeda?"

I smiled angelically at her and said, "I was in that powder-box—only not by that boy—and on the bars, too."

She seemed to believe my little fib, because she grabbed our hands and Apparated us home.

My first lie.

It was the first of many lies I'd tell between that moment and the day I graduated Hogwarts…


	2. Untouched and Bouillabaisse

**A/N: This chapter is doubly dedicated: To _fearblank_ and to _Kyota-chan_, because they're both SO awesome! xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Andy, Ted, the Blacks, nor the prompt.**

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted fiction

* * *

_

_Prompts 12 and 64: Untouched and Bouillabaisse

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_

It was a few years later, but I still remembered that chance meeting with the boy. His name had gone away, his clothes, even the color of his hair. But at eight, three years later, I remembered his eyes, his voice, and his _kiss_.

I was in my room one day, remembering, just remembering, when Bella called me downstairs.

"Come, Andy. Sirius, Regulus, Uncle Orion, and Aunt Walburga are here. Dress quickly, and come downstairs—Mother is expecting the best out of you, young lady!" And with that, she was gone.

_No!_ This means I had to dress up. I stood and removed my warm pyjamas. I quickly grabbed my clothes and put them on as fast as I could without wrinkling them. I smoothed out the skirt of my dress. I put a deep purple bow in my hair—not black, but a dark enough colour to please Mother.

I carefully put on white tights under the dress and put on black, shiny shoes. With a squirm and a sigh (last time I can get these in before I go), I left the comfort of my bedroom.

* * *

"Andromeda," Aunt Walburga said stiffly, and, like I'm supposed to, I went to her and kissed her on the cheek. 

"How lovely it is to see you, Auntie," I said sweetly, albeit insincerely.

"Likewise, Andromeda. I was just telling your lovely sister Bellatrix that she looks perfectly becoming. Stand back, let me see you," she instructed. This is the type of thing one's loving grandmother says before she hugs you and proclaims you perfect.

That is, unless Aunt Walburga is saying it, and very stiffly, too. Then she will critique you almost to tears. And Mother will be after me, I know, for everything she says is wrong. I inwardly groaned.

"Horrid hair, child. You will let it grow. Look how awful it looks—no, no, we will not have cropped heads in this house, will we, Druella?"

"Oh no, of course not. Actually, I was planning to try a lengthening charm on it, but then you came, and I didn't have any time," Mother responded, with a glare in my direction. I was the one who'd hated the idea in the first place!

"Do not blame me, Druella! It is your own incompetence that you didn't get it lengthened _sooner,_ not mine!" she snapped sharply.

Mother blushed crimson and tried to explain that she _wasn't _blaming Aunt Walburga, no, she had misunderstood, but my aunt took no notice.

As she commented on the state of my lips and eyelashes and said I'd wear makeup until I was old enough to do magic to fix my "horrible features", Daddy walked in with Cissy in his arms.

"Andromeda," he said roughly, with no other introduction, and thrust the child to me.

"Father," I responded, my head bowed. I took Cissy's hand and gave her the look that meant, "_Keep quiet!"_

She nodded, her lip poking out in a pouty look.

"Narcissa, Cygnus, it _is_ so good to see you. Narcissa, you must be—what, five, now?"

"Six," she said quietly.

"Louder, girl!"

"Six!" she shouted.

"Narcissa!" I said warningly. Then I got down to her level and whispered to her the bad things that could happen if she was a 'bad girl'.

"Ugly child, though beautiful hair."

Uncle Orion cleared his throat. "Tea, I presume?" he interrupted.

Sirius, around two, had been sitting in the corner this whole time, playing with his tie and looking bored. He jumped up a moment after his father had spoken.

"Food! Soup!" he shouted joyfully, emitting a cry from his baby brother in Auntie's arms.

"It isn't soup!" said Uncle sharply. "It's bouillabaisse. And take care to be quiet, Sirius!"

"Wes, Faver."

"The dining room!" said Mother, taking the conversation away from a sad-looking Sirius. As I am the good one with the children, I went to Sirius and gave him a hug.

"Hey, look at me, buddy!" I said, and when he did, I smiled. "C'mon, let's go and eat some—" here I lowered my voice so only he could hear, "—soup!"

He giggled, and grabbed my other hand (the other Cissy held in a death grip).

* * *

"Eew!" Cissy said as she stared at the seafood ladled onto our plates by Mother. 

"Narcissa!" I thundered. "Do you want me to take you to your room?" It pained me to see her beautiful, big blue eyes look nervous, but this was my duty.

"Andromeda," Mother said, with a sharp look, "not at the table. Let me handle this." Then she turned to Cissy. "You, child, will go _nowhere_ if you disrespect your elders! You will _not_ be a Black, Narcissa! Understood? Now eat your bouillabaisse!"

It almost—almost—made me laugh as Mother said the loopy word. What a funny thing to say! But I was eight. I wouldn't act like Cissy.

"Thank you very much for the s—bouillabaisse, Auntie," said Bella with a winning smile—everyone's favorite, huh?

Aunt Walburga didn't even get angry with the slip of tongue Bella had in there. No, she simply smiled back—rather coldly, if you asked me—and said, "A pleasure to please you, Bellatrix. You, child, are one good Black. I trust you are thinking of marriage?"

I almost spit out my water. As it was, I had to stop myself from laughing by covering my mouth with my napkin and pretending to cough. No one seemed to notice.

_Eleven-year-old _Bella nodded solemnly, though she shot me a look that was full of merry amusement—one of her rare moments of being a regular child. "Oh yes, ma'am. There are many available suitors: Rodolphus Lestrange, Phillip Greengrass, Andrew Flint, and Patrick McMillan, to name a few. I've kept my eye on all of them!"

Mother laughed nervously. "Uh, Orion. What is it you do, again?"

He looked at her with contempt, and then looked away pointedly. Clearly, Mother wouldn't get an answer.

* * *

As these boring—and slightly mad—conversations went on, I simply drifted away, hearing that boy's voice, feeling his kiss on my hand, seeing his eyes. I tried very hard not to get a dreamy smile on my face. Was this something _more_ than friendly feelings? Did I have a _crush_ on a Muggle, a boy I didn't know, someone who was nameless to me? 

When I went upstairs, leaving my bouillabaisse untouched on my plate—Mother would later scold me for that—I simply hoped I'd dream of this phantom boy, so that I could at least escape for a little while.

I was in up to my neck—but I wouldn't be in over my head until second or third year. And drowning? About seventh. I had a long, long way to go.


	3. Exclusive and Opal

A/N: Because I love my amazing reviewers! xD

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction

* * *

_

_Prompts 26 and 49: Exclusive and Opal

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_

On the first day of Hogwarts, Mother told me if I wasn't in Slytherin I'd be disowned like Uncle Marias. I was amazed.

"Mother," I told her, "I'm only eleven!"

She'd laughed then, a cold laugh, and said, "Andromeda, I was only kidding. You will be disowned for something a tad more serious—like marrying a Mudblood or joining the Order of the Phoenix." She spat the words like she longed to get the filth of them from her mouth.

I nodded my head. "Of course, Mother. Why would I marry a Mudblood? And—The Order of the Phoenix? I rather think not." I had already been molded.

Only, I hated saying Mudblood. And as I spoke, the boy flashed into my mind. It had been six long years—why did I still remember a filthy Muggle?

She nodded primly and then gave me a stiff kiss. "Father will take you."

"Yes, Mother." And then I went to Cissy—only nine—and hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you, my baby."

She laughed—she rarely laughed—and hugged me back. "I'm nine, you know. Only two years and I'll be in Slytherin with you and Bella!" She pulled away and looked at me excitedly.

I smiled fondly and stroked her beautiful blonde locks. "I love you, my common opal. I'll see you at Christmas, alright?" I used the nickname I'd come up with when younger. A common opal has a milky-white appearance—just like my beloved sister.

"Give your sister a kiss, Narcissa," Mother said sharply, breaking into our sisterly moment.

She complied. "I love you too," she whispered, and then I was swept away with Father and Bella.

Away from my poor baby common opal.

Away from my sister.

* * *

"Come _on,_ Andy. Just run through with Father." I stared at the wall in front of me. 

"What of the Muggles?" I asked, swallowing hard, pretending not to be scared.

"They're just common idiots. Just _go_, Andy!" Bella commanded.

I took a deep breath, clutched my cart tightly, and ran. To my surprise, the wall melted away to—

Platform nine and three quarters was all that I expected it to be. It was beautiful. It was bustling. It was _perfect._

Bella came next, smiling as she looked around her. "Thank _Merlin_ I'm back," she said briskly. Then she looked at Father. "I shall see you at Christmas, Father." He kissed her cheek.

"Goodbye, Father," I said, suddenly tearful. But I hid it expertly as he repeated his actions, though slightly more stiffly.

"Take good care of yourselves, my girls." But he looked at Bella as he said this.

"I'll take care of Andromeda, too, Father, I promise."

And with that last goodbye, Father Apparated away.

"Bella—" I said, but she was gone, swallowed in the crowd. I saw a group of girls wearing Slytherin attire, most likely with Bella in the center of it all.

I looked around helplessly. The tears threatened to overflow me. But then I shook my head and wiped my eyes inconspicuously on my Muggle clothing. I hauled my belongings onto the train and sat in an empty compartment, my head held high the whole time.

A boy looked in. My heart sped up—he was the Muggle boy from the park! I'd remember those eyes anywhere.

"Excuse me," he said politely, "may I sit in here?"

"Of course!" I said. Then I realized how eager I sounded and cleared my throat. "If you must."

He looked slightly offended, but sat down across from me anyway. "You look familiar…" he said.

I blinked. "Really? Well, maybe it's your imagination," though in truth, my heart had jumped into my throat in my excitement. He remembered me!

"No, I know you." Suddenly he kneeled on the floor of the compartment. I gasped. If people saw this—that would just be _mortifying._

"Mademoiselle Black, am I correct?" And he grabbed my hand and kissed it.

"Excuse me!" I said sharply. "Now is not the time for silly games! We're practically adults, Ted. We're going to Hogwarts, and we aren't _five _anymore!" Bloody hell, I'd let his name slip from my mouth. How had I even remembered that?

He looked excited. "You _do_ know me!"

"Of course I bloody know you! It's rather hard to forget someone like you!" I'd said too much. I wanted to bang my head against the window in despair.

"Is that a complement?" he asked, but his voice was full of hope.

"Perhaps," was all I said. "I'm tired. Goodbye." And then I closed my eyes.

Slytherin, here I come! I thought, only I couldn't get to sleep. And when I closed my eyes, I saw his hopeful face smiling at me. _Damn_ those eyes!

Father would be proud of my vocabulary.

* * *

I finally fell asleep, and when I awoke, I was alone. I jumped up. I really did need to change into my robes, I realized. 

When I got back to the compartment, half a dozen Slytherin girls sat there, talking. I cleared my throat. "Hello, I'm Andromeda Black."

"Sister of the famous Bellatrix Black? It's _such_ a pleasure!" said one girl, with jet black hair. "I'm Elizabeth Parkinson. I'm a second year. I've got one brother, named Mathew Parkinson."

_Thanks for the whole life story, weirdo_, I thought, but I responded with a polite hello.

"And I'm Sarah Berg. I'm dating Gavin Bulstrode, sorry…yeah, that sexy beast is taken!" said a girl with honey-blonde hair.

Another girl laughed and swatted Sarah on the arm. "Stop flaunting it, girl!" she said. She had dark black hair and chocolate-brown skin. Merlin, were they all drop-dead gorgeous?

One mousy-looking girl proved my thought wrong. "Hi, I'm Trisha McArthur. I'm in Slytherin, too." As if I hadn't figured that out! Her ugly brown-red braids had silver and green threads running loosely through them. She wore long, silver-and-white socks, and her robes had a Slytherin pin on them.

"Oh, hi," I said fakely.

The last girl spoke up, and she looked like the leader of the group. She had pale white skin, silvery blonde hair, and a cruel smirk.

"I'm Sandra Skeeter. My brother is the famous reporter, Anthony Skeeter. He has a daughter, you know, named Rita. She's planning on becoming _just_ as famous. And then there's me." She flicked her hair off her shoulder. "_I,_ Ms. Black, am going to be a supermodel for Witch Weekly's sister magazine—well, brother would be a better thing to say—" here she gave a sickening giggle, "called Wonder Boy." She winked.

"Wow," I said, with false admiration. _Ew!_ I thought instead.

"So, planning on becoming a Slytherin, like us?" asked the first girl. What was her name again? Elizabeth?

"Yeah. Of course. I'm a meant-to-be Slytherin."

"Welcome. We're a really exclusive group. But because you're Bellatrix's sister and a meant-to-be-Slytherin, you're in," said Sandra.

The other five nodded in agreement.

Did I _want_ to be in a snooty, exclusive Slytherin group full of fast girls and ugly makeup?

Mother would want me to be.

Father would want me to be.

Bella would want me to be.

Cissy—would my opal want me to be in a group I didn't really care for?

"Thanks. Glad I'm in," I said, and I sat down next to Sarah.

Cissy would want me to be her role-model.

I would live up to that.

I'd be a good Slytherin.

Just you wait!


	4. Sharing and Jealousy

A/N: Sorry about my lack of updates! But I'm in an update mood today! (Despite the fact it's a Saturday, and I should be having fun…but hey, pleasing you all is my life! Wow—pathetic much?) This one took a weird turn and only uses one prompt. And it doesn't come into play until the last line. Read on anyway!

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction

* * *

_

_Prompt 74: Sharing

* * *

_

Once off the train, Sandra and company (which, I realized with a jolt, now included me) all stood around snootily, waiting to be served. It was sunny, so Sandra complained of the heat, and that she'd get burnt. I breathed an inward groan.

Did any of us realize the castle was right there, standing majestic and beautiful? I certainly did. I stood admiring it as Elizabeth and Sarah chatted mindlessly about the boy near us, who looked 'hot'.

With a sigh, I turned back to the girls. "Look at it!" I said, pointing to it.

"What? It's just a bunch of brick stacked in a bunch of rows. Bo-ring!" Sandra complained with a yawn.

"Yeah," echoed Trisha. "Bo-ring!"

"Aw, come on. It does look kind of…funky."

It was the dark-haired girl, whose name I'd never learned.

"_Thank_ you. I agree," I told her.

"By the way, I'm Agra. I _know_ my name's weird…so everyone just calls me Aggie." She smiled at me warmly, and I knew I liked this girl.

"Yeah, we never did meet, did we? Well, I guess you already know. I'm Andy."

"Andy, or Andromeda?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My sisters call me Andy, but most people call me Andromeda. I couldn't care less."

"Okay…Andy." I smiled shyly at her and she grinned back.

"What?" asked nosy Trisha. "What do you want _me_ to call you? What was your nickname?"

"I—I don't have one," I said, as all the girls turned to look at me. "Could you all just call me Andromeda? It _is_ my given name." I shot Aggie a wink, and she laughed suddenly.

"What?" Sandra's head whipped around.

"Oh, umm…look at that giant man! Idiot!" she covered. I raised my eyebrows back at her, and she simply shrugged angelically.

_Yes, a real friend,_ I thought with an inward happy dance.

* * *

We stood in line. _Sorting_. I looked at Aggie and she squeezed my hand. "I'm practically first!" I told her. 

"Yeah, well, _my_ last name is Zwolle, so…I'm last. You're first, I'm last…Merlin, I hope we both get in the same House."

I silently agreed. I _would_ get in Slytherin. I _would!_

"Black, Andromeda," called some odd-looking lady with an atrocious taste in clothes.

I blinked. I was _seventh? _Merlin, you'd think I'd be saved by some A's or B's. But no-o. Aggie gave me a reassuring smile and I walked boldly forward.

_Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin, _I whispered. 

_"Well, and who are you?"_

I jumped. A voice inside my head? Great. And now I'm schizophrenic. Wait—Bella had told me about this. Yes…it was the Hat.

"_I'm glad you figured that out, Ms. Black. Now, you seem rather different than your mother, father, aunt, uncle, and sister. You'd be a good Ravenclaw…so smart…"_

_Slytherin. Slytherin. Slytherin._

_"Why do you want to end up there, my dearie dear?"_

_"It's the House we Blacks all get into."_

_"Have I not mentioned you are different?"_

_"No, please. Slytherin."_

_"If you insist, child…you may live to regret it…"_

_"Riight…"_

"SLYTHERIN!"

_"Yes!"_ I cheered and jumped up.

Aggie gave me thumbs up, and I waved. Then I straightened and headed calmly down to the Slytherin table to sit next to a proud-looking Bella to thunderous applause from my fellows.

Very soon after was Sarah. She sauntered up to the stool and calmly placed the Hat on her head.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Sandra, across from me, cheered. Sarah seemed to be her favourite of the group. Trisha (nest to her) naturally repeated Sandra's actions.

As she joined us, I saw her flash a smile in the direction of a huge, burly guy with horrible hair who could only be Bulstrode. His head looked large enough to fit perfectly inside the Hat.

"How come you two are already dating?" I hissed.

She smirked. "His parents are like _this_ with mine." She crossed her fingers tightly.

I raised my eyebrows. "Okay then."

I zoned in and out of the Sorting. Aggie kept sending me looks of boredom, which I returned.

Finally, "Tonks, Ted," was called. I blinked and sat up straighter.

"You _know_ him?" Sandra asked me. "He's _obviously_ not a pureblood. Therefore, he's a…" she lowered her voice, "Mudblood."

I was used to the word, but it still irritated me. "Oh, no, I don't. I thought I recognized the name…but no, never mind, someone else." _One of my many lies._

The Hat sat on his head for a while. Finally, it screamed, "RAVENCLAW!" and my heart sank. Well, no, he wouldn't have been welcome in Slytherin. Not a Mudblood like him.

I inwardly cringed at my very own use of the word.

He looked at the Slytherin table for one heart-stopping moment, and I thought he'd stare at me, only—

He grinned hugely and practically _ran_ down to the Ravenclaw table.

I sighed very, very quietly, and then shook myself. _No, __Andy__! No, no, no. __Not __the__ Mudblood. Forget he exists._

Merlin, did I try!

* * *

"Zwolle, Agra." 

I flashed Aggie a huge smile and she smiled weakly back.

It took a long time for the Hat to decide again. "SL-RAVENCLAW!" It shouted.

My heart sank. Ravenclaw? It seemed to have changed its mind in the process of shouting it out.

Aggie looked happy—happy?—as she took of the Hat. She sent me a small, sympathetic smile before practically _skipping_ to the Ravenclaw table. I cursed her and the Hat under my breath.

Great. Now she'd get to rub up against Ted and maybe even go out with him, and I'll be stuck in Slytherin, no friends, no boyfriend, and ugly House colours too. Just fantastic!

I was _not_ going to share Ted with her, no matter what!

* * *

Jealousy…the thing that would envelop me for too many of my Hogwarts years. 

Sharing…so hard to learn, yet invaluable.

Aggie and Ted…a horrible phrase.

Slytherin…I regretted it.


	5. Palace and Quill

**A/N: Never fear! I have FINALLY updated!! And I would like to dedicate this chapter to my favorite people in the world: Bad Mum, Icetail, Morning. xx, Kyota-chan, caraez, GoddessofYouth, lalababee, fearblank, ooosk, equal-opportunity-candy-eater, hrypotrox72, and Ridikulus. You 12 people are FANTASTIC and AMAZING! Thanks times 1000 for reviewing!**

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction _

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Prompts 13 and 14: Palace and Quill_

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Hogwarts was, without a doubt, a palace.

Big, beautiful, sturdy, old…

And it was bloody hard to find your way around.

All of the qualities Palaces _should_ possess.

* * *

My first class as an official Hogwarts student was Transfiguration. 

We had it with Ravenclaw.

"Andy!" cried Aggie. "Sit with me!"

I smiled at her, though it was stiff. I sent a covert look towards Ted, who was sitting with a friend, and hurried to sit next to her.

"Hi," I said. She smiled brightly at me. "Umm…I have to tell you something."

Her brow furrowed, and her smile disappeared. "What?"

"Err—you can't tell a _soul—_but…but…Ted Tonks is kind of…nice. And, well, can you just _never_ date him? Please?"

She grinned again. "Ooh…I see…you _like _Ted Tonks!"

"No I don't!" I said, louder than I expected. "I just don't want you fraternizing with a Mudblood!" Luckily, by the last word, my voice had dropped to a hiss.

"Fraternizing?" repeated Aggie, but after a moment or two promised. I relaxed as best I could.

"_Thank_ you!" I said, and finally smiled truly at her.

McGonagall cleared her throat.

And my first class began…

* * *

The next day at breakfast, Bella found me. 

"Andy!" she hissed, and motioned for me to follow her. I did as I was told. No use making a scene.

"What's the deal between you and Ted _Tonks_?" she asked, grimacing at the name. "You realize he's a Mudblood?"

"Of course I realized that, Bella! There's _nothing_ going on between us." _Another lie…_

"Okay, well, Samantha Jones heard Agra Zwolle saying that you liked him! Then Sammie told Sandra who told Sarah who told Gavin, who told Paul, who told me."

"They were lying," I said flatly.

"Okay…" She studied me, hard, willing me to hint that I liked him.

I did nothing of the sort. "Okay…" she repeated, then flounced off, defeated.

I rolled my eyes and went to Transfiguration. At least I had a _real_ friend there.

* * *

Aggie brought a fluffy pink quill to class. McGonagall pursed her lips, but allowed her to write with it. 

It was so distracting that I finally had to ask, "Where did you get that?"

She grinned at it. "Ted gave it to me and his mates. Also, he gave it to Alli George. Isn't it amazing?"

"I told you not to hang out with him!" I said sharply.

"You can't control what I do!" she said indignantly.

"Ms. Black! Ms. Zwolle! Kindly tell us what is _so_ important that you must stop others from learning?" McGonagall snapped.

"Nothing, ma'am," I said quietly.

"Then will you please listen to the lesson, or perhaps you'd like a trip to detention instead?"

"No, ma'am!" said Aggie, panicked.

"No, ma'am," I repeated.

I shot a look at Ted. There, in his hand, was a bright blue quill.

I noticed Alli, directly in front of me. She, too, had a quill. Bright orange…

Suddenly, brightly colored quills were surrounding me, drowning me in their gaudy hues…

A shook my head into rid myself of the horrible thought.

_Ted could care less about me._

_I could care less about him._

_We're opposites._

_His blood is dirty._

_Mine is pure._

The only problem was…it seemed to be getting quickly contaminated with brightly colored quills, schoolgirl crushes, and Transfiguration.


	6. Wingardium Leviosa and Lemon Drops

* * *

A/N: I'm gonna have to shorten these…Every single ATLB Challenge fic I've seen is drabbles. I finally realize the wisdom in that. No, they will _not_ be drabbles. Yes, they _will_ be shorter. Just an FYI.

Thank you reviewers!! I am SOOO sorry it took me SOO long to update—It's been a party weekend (LOL), and school is definitely keeping me on my toes. But no excuses—I have FINALLY gotten down to it!

Disclaimer: Do I freakin' look like a millionaire, people??

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 42 and 44:_Wingardium Leviosa_ and Lemon Drops_

* * *

Near the end of my first year, I was called down to Dumbledore's office.

McGonagall opened the stone gargoyle with a murmured password. I watched in marvel as it leapt aside with a polite little half-bow.

"Ms. Black!" smiled Dumbledore.

"Sir," I said, though I'd been taught from Bella, Mother, Father, and Aunt Walburga that such a man wasn't to be respected.

He smiled and looked me up and down over his half-moon spectacles. "A lemon drop, perhaps?" he asked. "They're my favorite candy, Ms. Black. That lemony flavor is absolutely _scrumptious_. Don't you agree?"

I accepted one and tasted it. "It tastes—well, it has that sort of zing to it, you know?"

He grinned and nodded. "Precisely, precisely. Now, on to business, shall we?"

"Yes, sir." Something about this man put me immediately at ease, and I managed a small smile.

"The spell _Wingardium Leviosa _was taught to you in your Charms class, yes? With Professor Flitwick?"

"Yes, sir. I got the hang of it quickly—it's quite fun, really!"

"Ah, yes, yes. Well. Since you are so advanced at the spell, we'd like you to tutor those students who are _not_ getting the hang of it, if you will."

"Oh, I'd love to!" I said, my eyes shining. Teaching was something I'd always loved. What can I say? Being bossy is fun! "Who are the students, sir?"

"Sarah Berg, Trisha McArthur, Paula Oshawa, Mathew Parkinson, and Ted Tonks."

My heart stopped. "What was the last name?" I asked.

He smiled kindly. "Ted Tonks. Very engaging child. Smiles a lot, don't you agree?"

"I—Um—Yes, sir. He's cheerful. Erm—when do I start?"

"Next week."

"Alright. Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, Ms. Black. Now, back to your classes!" He smiled and handed me one last lemon drop. "For the road," he said, and shooed me away.

I definitely liked this Dumbledore man. Hang Mother, Father, Bella, and Aunt Walburga!

* * *

"Next week" came all too fast. I sat in an empty classroom—I think it was Defense Against the Dark Arts—and waited for my students.

"They'll come in one at a time, Ms. Black," McGonagall explained.

"Yes, Professor."

"First is Sarah Berg—I trust you know her?"

"Oh, yes."

"Well then. Ms. Berg, Ms. Black, please begin. You will have fifteen minutes."

"Oh, my Merlin! I do _not_ need a tutor! Gavin said he'd beat the idiot Dumbly up—but then McEvil gave him detention! Ugh. They're all against us Slytherins, I swear!"

"Um, want to get started then, Sarah?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

I knew why she needed a tutor within the first three minutes of the lesson. "_Wingardium Leviosa,"_ I demonstrated.

_"Whingadaum Livosa," _she said, stabbing her wand in the air.

"Uh, Sarah, you've got to—" I showed her how to move the wand.

"Riight. Whatever. This is stupid."

"Sarah! Listen! It's not 'Whing', it's 'Wingardium'. The 'arr' is drawn out. It's elegant sounding, see? And then 'Leviosa' is not 'Liv'. It's _lev_. Leviosa. Repeat after me: _Wingardium Leviosa,"_

She sighed gustily and doing the movements, she muttered, "_Wingardium Leviosa,"_ and the feather we were practicing on flew into the air.

"Good job!" I cheered. She smiled weakly.

"Okay, that was harder than I thought." She plopped down in a seat. "Oh Merlin, don't you think Gavin is hot?"

I rolled my eyes.

Presently, the fifteen minutes ended and Trisha came in.

* * *

She was worse than Sarah, and I refused to let her sit down and rest. "Practice! Come on, say it again. Come _on,_ Trisha, I'm in charge here!"

She literally stuck her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes again. Finally, another _long_ fifteen minutes were up.

* * *

Oshawa, a Hufflepuff, just sat and smiled.

"Hello! Anyone in there?"

"He didn't get much sleep last night…" explained McGonagall, and shut the door.

* * *

Mathew Parkinson was as horrible as his sister, only a year younger. He practically refused to listen to me.

* * *

Exasperated, I watched Ted walk in shyly. "Hi…" he muttered.

"Hello," I said impatiently. "Can we get down to it?"

Ted was the best of all of them. He smiled often, cracked jokes, and got the concept of it—unlike the rest of them. He also caught on fairly quickly, and I was done with him long before the fifteen minutes were up.

"Why were you so rude on the train?" he asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"Umm…I'm not sure." I looked away from his penetrating gaze and added, "How's Aggie?"

His eyes lit up. "Oh, she's splendid. She and I are mates now, you know. She's really cool, and she's never mean or bratty. My friends love her, too!"

My heart sunk, and I cleared my throat. "_Wingardium Leviosa._ Practice again, Ted."


	7. Feast and Sarcasm

A/N: Faster update! Yeah me! With this chapter, I'm 1/5 of the way done with the story! (Yeah, that means I've got about 30 chapters to go…)

This one was unintentionally long…well, hope you guys are grateful! (Hint, hint) –Grovels for reviews-

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 21 and 71: Feast and Sarcasm_

* * *

Besides the fact that we were now calling ourselves the Famous Five (oh, fantastic…), the only thing I remember about second year is the Halloween Feast.

* * *

"So, Andromeda, we're setting you up with Lucius Malfoy," said Sarah out of the blue on the morning of Halloween.

_"What_?" I shrieked.

"He's a pureblood, a handsome guy, and all the rest of the Five have dates to the Halloween dance!"

"The _what?_" I repeated stupidly.

"You know! The dance that Slughorn's throwing for us Slytherins?"

"Oh! That…" I responded numbly. I hadn't been looking forward to that, and the fact that I was being set up with Lucius Malfoy, a year my junior, made it all the worse.

"Yep. So, yeah…wait. You weren't thinking of going alone?"

"Of course not!" I said quickly. "It's just that, well—Lucius is a pompous prat."

She laughed. "No he isn't. He's hot." She winked and grabbed my arm. We rushed into the third year girls' dorm.

Sarah was my favorite of the five, but that was only because she wasn't a brat. She wasn't all that better than the other three.

Trisha, Elizabeth, and Sandra all greeted us, their faces caked with makeup and their skirts horrendously short.

"Um…shouldn't you be wearing robes?" I asked.

"It's _Halloween,_ Andromeda. We're going as sluts!" laughed Sandra.

"Oh. Right. And why didn't you tell us?" Sarah asked, looking angry.

_Thank Merlin,_ I thought. I really didn't want to dress as a slut—the Five were already slutty enough.

"We asked Sluggy, and he said second years couldn't dress as sluts. Until the party, that is."

"Damn him," Sarah said. Muttering a worse swear under her breath, she and the rest of the Five set off.

Whistles escorted us down the hall. I was feeling rather under-dressed. "So, sluts or whores for the party?" Sarah wanted to know.

Elizabeth smiled. "We were thinking prostitutes, but whatever."

"How about we go as, like, Slytherin or someone?" I jumped it.

"Oh my Merlin! Slutty Slytherin! You are the best, Andromeda!" Sandra said, looking excited.

Oh, great. Look what I incurred—Sandra's Ideas of Evil.

They were continuing to talk, though. "I can get some beards, and we can turn them grey. And fake eyebrows!" Elizabeth said, looking excited.

"Um, guys," said Trisha, "do we _really_ want to go as Slutty Slytherin? I mean, it's like an insult to…" She fell silent as three pairs of eyes turned to glare at her.

I knew why she didn't want to do it. It was because _I'd_ helped come up with it. She believed I wasn't a proper Slytherin, and that I was hiding something.

Of course I was! We all were!

The Famous Five had more problems than people thought.

* * *

When Sandra walked into class, there were whistles. One guy fainted.

When Trisha walked into class, someone threw up.

When Elizabeth walked into class, someone asked her out on the spot.

(She declined.)

When Sarah walked into class, a few guys smiled. One asked her why she wasn't dressed up "like the whore we know you are?" She'd winked and told him to just wait.

And me?

When _I _walked into class, Ted smiled at me appreciatively.

Because what was I wearing?

I'd changed in the loo while the others walked on.

I was dressed as a granny.

Sarah elbowed me. "Hello! A granny?"

A few kids gave shouts of laughter.

Some girl gave me a dirty look as a guy shouted, "WE LOVE YOU, BLACK!"

I nodded and bowed.

"Settle down, class! Ms. Black, I commend you on wearing something so…appropriate," Flitwick squeaked, casting looks around the class.

We silenced immediately. "Thanks, Professor," I said.

"Ms. Berg, please sit down and stop promising to dress suggestively. And yes, Ms. Zwolle, what is it?"

Aggie put down her hand and grinned. "I say we clap for Andy—er, Andromeda. I mean, who else would _dare_ to dress like that? All the girls are going as sl—being 'suggestive'."

One thing didn't change between first year and second: Aggie was still in my first class. Thank Merlin.

Another thing: So was Ted. I'm not sure whom to thank for that.

"Fine," Flitwick consented with a weary look.

They clapped for me for literally a nanosecond before Flitwick stopped everyone and got down to business.

"I like your costume," I hissed to Aggie. She was dressed as a Ravslytherpuffdor, AKA she had some part of every house on her.

She grinned. "Teddy came up with the idea."

"Teddy?"

"Sorry," she said with a blush, "I meant Ted. It's just, he calls me Agra, so I have to punish him right back!"

I nodded numbly, missing the rest of the lesson.

Good Merlin, I was nettled because they had _nicknames_ for each other?

I was finally in over my head.

* * *

By the time the feast came around, I had come back to my own. I could breathe again.

_They're just friends. Just friends, Aggie said. Mates…yeah right. _

Ah, well, so maybe I wasn't as cool, calm, and collected as I lead everyone—including myself—to believe.

"C'mon, girls! Feast time!" shouted Sandra, and the Famous Five rushed downstairs to the Great Hall. We were excited to be dressed as Slutty Slytherins…at least, _they_ were.

Me? I was less than happy. Sarah had told about my being a granny in Charms, and Sandra refused to let me out of her sight.

"We're the Five, Andromeda. We match, and we are whores and sluts, okay? I don't care what Ravenclaw you want to impress, Drom. You will match us."

Oh, yeah. That's what she called me. Drom.

How pleasant.

"Drom, this is Lucius," she said as we walked into the hall, and a boy with long blond-white hair and a smirk greeted us.

"Oh. Hi, Lucius..." I said. I had the urge to ask him if anyone called him Lulu, but I knew I shouldn't.

"Hello, Andromeda. It's a pleasure," he said in an oily voice. He kissed my hand.

I snatched it away quickly. "Oh. Um, sorry, I'm a Famous, and we don't kiss on the _hand," _I said, thinking fast.

What had I gotten myself into?

"Ah, yes. Right," he said with a suggestive smirk playing at his lips.

"Yeah. So, bye then." I rushed away to join the rest of the Famous Five.

Eew.

* * *

The rest of the dance was absolutely horrendous.

"Andromeda," Lucius said as soon as I arrived, wearing my Slutty Slytherin clothes.

"Oh, hi," I said. "I'm going to get some punch…"

"I'll get it," he said hurriedly, and headed away.

"Oh, thanks, _Lulu_. Why are you such an idiot?" I muttered. "And a _disgusting_ idiot, at that!"

"Drom? Are you okay?" asked Sarah, twirling by on the arm of Bulstrode.

"I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth, but I'm not sure she heard…

Let me give you a picture of our outfits: We looked like bearded belly dancers.

See, our eyebrows were heavy and grey, as were our beards. We wore green robes that split down the front. Our stomachs were exposed almost up to our chests, and we wore teeny-tiny green skirts. Our high-heels were at least four inches up, and they were stunning, dazzling green.

_Wow, I'm so glad I came up with this!_ I thought bitterly.

Every guy that passed whistled and winked at us as we entered in our pack of five. And then we broke up so that Sandra could go snog, Sarah could dance, Trisha could...do whatever she liked to do, and Elizabeth could socialize. And I could hang out with Lulu. Oh, the joy!

* * *

I'm sure Lulu would have tried to snog me, had I not begun dancing with a fourth year, who told me I was 'a sexy beast'.

"Thanks…I think," I said, but he didn't notice.

Thanks, Merlin. I'm glad to see my life is going to rock, just like the party…

Who am I kidding? My life was falling apart, puzzle piece by puzzle piece, and I wasn't doing anything to stop it.


	8. Blood Pops and Socks

**A/N: Never fear! I have updated!! And I would like to dedicate this chapter to my favorite people in the world: REVIEWERS! You all are purely amazing! Yes, this is short. Yes, it's weird. Yes, you shall review. Shan't you? (Sorry...reading Shakespeare...)**

_

* * *

_

Pure Blood

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction

* * *

_

_Prompts 13 and 14: Blood Pops and Socks_

* * *

Third year was young when we _finally_ got a chance to go to Hogsmeade.

I'd heard so much about it from Bella, and Aggie and I were excited to go.

The Famous Five had kicked her out of the group, so I decided to sneak off to hang out with her.

"Um…A-Andy?" Aggie said in Potions on Friday. This was our class together, and for the past week, we'd been happily planning for Hogsmeade.

"Yeah?"

"S-Someone a-asked me to Hogsmeade…I mean…It was Ted. Ted Tonks."

I gaped at her. "But _Aggie!_ I told you not to go near him!"

She laughed nervously. "C'mon, Andy. We've been mates for years."

"Do you like him?"

This time she laughed even louder. "Hah! Me? Like _Teddy?_ Oh, _hell_ no! I mean, he and I are like…like you an' Narcissa, see?"

I swore under my breath. My opal and I had _tried_ not to show that we were even related, let alone sisters—and close ones, at that. It was bad for our reputations…But at least Aggie and Ted were _just friends_.

"Does _he_ know this?" I asked.

"I—I mean, I think so. We're just mates, really. That's all. Good buds. Get it?"

"So we aren't going together?" I asked sadly. I was alone with the Famous Five…

"You _are_ a Famous, you know."

I snorted. "Yeah, right. I mean, not at heart, crappy as _that_ sounds."

She studied me, and hard, before going back to her work. "I thought you didn't say that."

We had a rule. _Crappy_ was the Famous Five Fabulous Swear. So Aggie and I avoided saying it.

"Aggie, look. We're growing apart, I guess. Maybe I'll see you and Ted in Hogsmeade."

And the bell rang.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear.

"Let's go!" screamed Sarah, jumping up.

I screamed. Yeah. Oh, well. I laughed along with her and my other roommates, not part of the Famous Five.

We dressed quickly and hurried down to McGonagall. We handed her our slips and rushed into line.

This was it…_Hogsmeade!_

When we got there, we first went to Honeydukes. "Mmm, it smells good!" Trisha said.

"Trisha, you look ridiculous," Sandra said coolly, and everyone started to laugh. She blushed deeply and retreated behind me.

"Who wants a Blood Pop?" Sarah wanted to know, shaking it in my face.

"Ew! Is there _blood_ in those?" I screeched.

Elizabeth chuckled. "Yep," she responded. "_Real blood! _Oooh!" I rolled my eyes as she laughed.

"Hey, guys, look!" Sarah shouted, running outside and going towards Madame Malkin's. "Robes with _socks_ on them!"

"No way!" I shrieked, running after her. We looked at them and burst out laughing, just the two of us, and for a second I imagined she was Aggie.

And then Sandra came out. "Sarah," she said, and snapped her fingers.

And then the moment was gone.

* * *

I saw Ted and Aggie in the Three Broomsticks.

They were laughing together, and a surge of jealousy reached me. I fought it down. Aggie was happy as she was.

And, apparently, so was Ted, I thought, as he threw back his head to laugh. And saw me, looking longingly at them…


	9. Stairs and Eyes

A/N: I'm really sorry it took SO long to update…I'm a horrible person…many apologies!

Disclaimer: I wish I had a British accent…-daydreams and forgets about disclaimer-

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 16 and 57: Stairs and Eyes_

* * *

When I left Hogsmeade early, the rest of the Famous Five didn't seem to mind.

"I feel sick to my stomach," I explained to nosy Trisha, and it was true. After seeing Ted and Aggie together, I wasn't feeling well.

"'Bye, girl! See you at ol' Hoggy!" shouted Sarah with a laugh, and then she turned and whispered something to Sandra.

"'Bye," I whispered half-heartedly, and headed back.

* * *

When I got to Hogwarts, I raced up the stairs to the school and tripped fabulously on them, landing sprawled across the floor. "Nice, Andy," I muttered to myself, trying to get up.

"Let me help," said a soft voice. I looked up, and standing there was Ted.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, not bothering to put on an act. No one was here in the bitter cold anyway.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. When I shook my head (though I think I gave myself away by wincing), he added, "Why aren't you in Hogsmeade? I saw you there…"

"Oh. Yeah. Well, I feel kind of sick."

"We need to get you to the hospital wing," he said firmly, noticing as I grunted a bit while trying to walk.

"I-I'm better now," I whispered raggedly. Well, no, I wasn't, but his arm around my shoulders seemed to cure my stomach immediately.

"No, you aren't."

"Where's Aggie?" I asked in a desperate attempt at changing the subject.

"She's—I dunno, actually. We saw you in the window, and I wanted you to join us, but she said that you wouldn't want to, that the Famous Five wouldn't want you to. So then, when I saw you run off, I said I'd go after you, because you looked kind of sad and sick. And she—she kind of got angry, and left."

"She's mental," I said with a fond grin.

"She—she's really sad that you two aren't friends anymore."

I snapped my head around to face him. "Why? She's the one—"

"She's sorry that you're a Famous, and she knows that they're influencing you. I mean, she told me about the crappy incident."

"She's been really obnoxious lately, Ted! You don't understand. I don't think she likes me anymore. She likes you better, and I think she _likes_ you. Like _that_," I explained, frustrated tears filling my eyes.

He looked taken aback, then gave a gentle chuckle. "She doesn't, Andromeda. She hates guys right now. She says they're disgusting. She'll only put up with my mates and me. That's why she's so easy to tick off lately."

"Oh. I—"

"Shh. It's okay." He reached for my chin and made me look him in his beautiful brown eyes. "She still likes you, Andromeda, and so do I."

I looked at him, studied those eyes, and then I smiled. It was a slow, tentative smile, true, but it was a smile. "Thanks," I whispered.

And from then on, Ted Tonks was my secret friend.


	10. Thirteen and Cryptic

A/N: Here is my post-hiatus update! Beware—it's short! I know 13 (or perhaps 12) is a young age for love, but it could happen. Besides, guys are pretty impulsive. And Andy's reasoning and the guy choices she has may confuse you, but she's only human. Try not to be confused—it'll unfold in later chapters.

Also, for everyone who says Narcissa's personality is not very fitting…I have my reasons. Bear with me!

Disclaimer: I don't own!

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 39 and 43: Thirteen and Cryptic_

* * *

"Happy birthday! You're finally a teenager, Andy!" Cissy said, bursting into our dorm.

"Cissy!" I screeched, jumping up, out of my sleep.

She giggled. "Sorry, Andy."

"Andromeda," I hissed, and she backed off.

"Whatever," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, happy birthday."

She turned to go, and I immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Cissy. Thanks."

She turned and grinned again. "Oh, no problem!" she said cheerfully. How _good_ it felt to have my opal here with my on my first day of teen-dom.

"What'll we do today?" she asked, as my roommates began to stir.

"Oh, I dunno. Not much, right?"

She shrugged. "Why not? Cake…a party…_boys_!" Her smile grew wider at the last word.

I laughed. "I'm not interested in guys right now, Cissy."

"And _why not_?" she demanded.

_Because I think I like a Mudblood_, I thought, but said instead, "They're freaks. No fun."

"Not true!" she insisted, but stopped arguing.

"Get up, sleepyhead," Cissy was saying to Sarah. She groaned and turned over.

"Get away, Black…" she murmured.

Cissy simply grinned and turned back to me. "So yeah, I'll go now, but Happy Birthday, again!" She hugged me and skipped out of the room.

I smiled after my bubbly sister and stretched, then proceeded to get dressed.

My dorm mate, Pauline, suddenly walked in. "Hey, girls," she said cheerfully. "Happy birthday, Andromeda. This was left outside the common room door." And she held up a note that said, "ANDROMEDA BLACK—Happy Birthday!"

I grabbed it. "Who's it from?" I asked.

"No idea," Pauline answered, and then left again for breakfast.

I ripped it open, with Sarah's eyes on me. She'd finally gotten up due to this object of interest.

"It's in code…" I murmured. "Let's see. A deer…and my face. Dear Andromeda…"

I stopped decoding aloud.

A deer, and my face.

A smile, and a cake. (Happy birthday.) An eye, the word want, the number two, a person whispering in someone else's ear, a U. (I want to tell you…something.) An eye again, a heart, a U. (I love you!) The word since, in parenthesis U and ME, and the number 5. (Since we were five.)

A heart, a comma, and a question mark. (Love, ?)

My heart sped up. Someone was in love with me—someone who knew me when I was five.

Oh, thank Merlin—Lulu didn't meet me till I was twelve.

Let's see…who? Only Purebloods, of course—so that ruled Ted out. My heart sank.

There were a few all right Slytherin Purebloods…hmm…Phillip Greengrass, for one. There was Matt Parkinson—eew! Frank Parker, Greg Turpin, Kyle Crabbe, Andrew Flint. Those were the only boys I'd met when I was five.

"Well?" Sarah prompted. "Who sent it?"

"I don't know," I said, dumbfounded. "It's a secret admirer note."

She studied it, ooh-ing and aah-ing, trying to guess who sent it, as I sunk into my thoughts.

Someone loved me…_Me_.

My heart yearned for Ted Tonks, but my head said, "Take this secret admirer. It'll work out…somehow."

Would it work out?

Would this boy love me enough to make me love him back?

Was that even possible?


	11. Soap and Blowing Bubbles

A/N: I actually made a plan for this fic, so I'm excited to be writing! I'm sorry it's short!

Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own soap. Or the idea of Soap Bubbles!

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fiction

* * *

_

_Prompts 46 and 73: Soap and Blowing Bubbles

* * *

_

"Andy!"

I screamed and jumped up, throwing my book onto the ground and grabbing my wand in one motion.

Ted laughed, coming out from behind the tree I was leaning against.

"Why did you do that?" I hissed, not wanting the other four of the Famous Five to hear.

He laughed again. "Because, my dear, I enjoy seeing you scared, of course!"

I slapped his arm playfully. He grabbed my hand and led me into Hogwarts (we didn't pass anyone, thank Merlin for that) and straight to the Kitchens. I giggled at the suspense.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

He chuckled. "You'll see," he said, and we entered.

* * *

We were outside again, away from everyone in a deserted corner of Hogwarts.

He handed me the bar of soap and used his own wet hands to make a huge bubble.

I giggled again and copied his movements. But as hard as I blew, the soap wouldn't come out in a bubble, like his.

"Look," he instructed, his soapy hands gentle and he arranged my own. "Now, blow softly, like this." He blew in his own hands again and produced a fat, round bubble again, which I reached up towards, trying to catch it.

Caught in the moment, I jumped, and tripped, landing sprawled on the ground, bruised and laughing.

He laughed too and helped me up. "Are you alright?"

"Alright? I'm _more_ than alright! I'm fantastic! I haven't felt this happy since…birth!" I laughed, exhilarated.

He blinked at me. "That happy? We're not doing much."

"Are you _kidding_? We're doing _everything_!" And I laughed again.

He stopped me by blowing a bubble that popped on my nose.

"You are _so_ going to get it! Way to ruin the moment!" I giggled, and set my hands like he'd told me. With a slow breath, the bubble appeared and, with a flick of my wand, began to chase Ted everywhere. I was nearly hysterical when it finally caught up with the fleeing boy and popped in his dark blonde hair.

He groaned and turned around, this time chasing me. I ran, but I was no match for Ted, who caught me within seconds. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down next to him.

He pushed my hair behind my ear with his soapy hand and made me smile. "Hey," I said softly, "don't ruin my hair!"

He smiled at me and was silent. We laid there, in the quiet, not doing or saying anything. I was trying not to think too much. It would ruin the moment.

Finally, I carefully (and secretly) got my hands in position when he was looking elsewhere and blew. The soap bubble landed on his cheek and popped quickly, startling him.

"Andy! Why did you do that?" he asked, grinning and turning to me.

"Because, my dear, I love to see you scared, of course!" I said, and jumped up. "Now come and catch me again!"


	12. Portrait and China

A/N: Thanks for everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own China the country, or otherwise, and there are no portraits of me as far as I know!_

* * *

_

Pure Blood

_An Andromeda/Ted Fan fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 55 and 58: Portrait and China_

* * *

The ride home from Hogwarts was worse than usual, probably due to the fact that the other four were chattering on and my head was filled with Ted.

Narcissa popped into our compartment. "Hi, girls," she said, almost coldly.

"Narcissa, sit with us!" I urged, pleading in my eyes.

"Er, sorry, Andromeda, I've got to get back to my friends. But Lucius Malfoy would like to see you."

I inwardly groaned as the girls giggled enviously. "Tell us _everything_!" Sarah said.

I nodded glumly and excused myself. Narcissa led me without speaking into Lulu's compartment. With a quick hug outside the door, she left me to my fate.

"Hi, Lucius," I said, blushing as all of his friends turned to stare at me.

"Andromeda, lovely to see you. I trust your sister got you?" His mouth turned down at the corners when he mentioned her.

"Yes," I said stiffly.

"Come and sit, don't be a stranger!" he offered with what he thought was a comforting smile.

"I have rather shocking news," he said forwardly once I was seated next to him.

I blinked. "Like what?" What could _he_ say that would shock me?

His voice grew distant and cold. "We are engaged to be married," he murmured. "Shh, now, don't let the lads hear us."

I gaped, trying not to let the revulsion I felt show on my face. "When?" I asked. "How do you know and I don't?"

"My father told me in a letter. He said it was time I knew, and it was my responsibility to tell you. Our parents arranged it when we were children."

"Why _us_?" I asked. "Why not Bella or Cissy?"

"I assure you," he said, a look of disgust on his face, "I am not exactly celebrating. You aren't to my…tastes. But we will have to make do, won't we?"

"Not necessarily…" I said, thinking I could do _something_ to stop this.

"Yes, necessarily, you foolish child!" he thundered, but when his friends gave us odd looks, he brought his voice down. "We must do as our parents say. Or would you rather get burnt off your family tapestry?"

"Well, frankly—" I began to say, when Gavin Bulstrode appeared.

"The Famous's want you back, Andromeda," he said, and strode away.

"Adieu," I said, and stood.

"No," Lucius said, keeping my eyes though he still sat, "Farewell. I assure you, we _will _meet again." I shivered at his angry tone, and hurried out.

Lovely. Engaged to _Lulu Malfoy._ What could be better?

* * *

The train ride ended later—too much later, for my tastes—and I stood, rushing out. None of the others questioned me, thank Merlin, and I hurried to find Bella and Cissy.

"Girls," I said, "crisis."

"What?" Cissy asked, excited, while Bella turned away.

"I'm _engaged_!"

"Why is that bad?" she asked, brow furrowed.

"Because, my opal, I'll marry Lulu Malfoy!"

"Who?"

"Lucius. Lucius Malfoy."

Cissy went quite lovesick at the name. "He's _so_ handsome! And proper. Wait—you'll be _marrying_ him? How could you?"

"We were engaged as children," I said miserably.

"Damn. That isn't fair!"

"Take care not to whine," I warned. "But I agree—nothing could make me marry him!"

"Don't you want to, though?" Cissy asked, looking at me oddly.

"Merlin, no! I hate the lad!"

"Why?" she asked, now staring.

"Never mind," I said as Father arrived and Apparated us away.

* * *

"Father," I said, when we arrived home, "you never told me I was engaged."

He started, and looked at me for the first time. "You know?"

"Lucius told me."

"Ah, well, you know the chap. Take care not to offend him, Andromeda, for he is incredibly rich. We're lucky his parents agreed to allow you to marry him."

"Father, what if I don't wish to marry him?"

His eyebrows knitted together, and his face grew darker. "You shall marry him!" he insisted. "Now, your mum wants to get a portrait taken of you."

Cissy and Bella were each sitting motionless, with fake and frozen smiles on their faces, as two men in odd, crooked hats drew them. The pictures didn't look very realistic—Bella looked like some sort of angel, and I half-expected the man on the left to draw devil horns on Cissy's poor head.

"Sit," the man in the middle told me, with some odd accent. I did as I was told, and held a china dish on my lap, as Mum froze my smile magically and forced my fingers to stop twitching.

I grimaced in my head, but when I saw the finished portrait, it actually did look like me—only with a smile. My eyes gave away my discomfort. There was an annoyed crease in my forehead, my hair was run-away, and my chin was defiant. My smile was condescending and fake as anything. I sat with my hands clutching the bowl for dear life, and my arms were tucked as far into my body as they would go.

"Thank you," Mother said, never once meaning it, and nodded to each of us.

We were free. I ran to my room, ignoring my mother's protests that I "acted like a lady, for once!" In my room, I drew my own portrait of me. I was smiling a real smile, and my forehead was clear. My chin was slightly tucked in, and my eyes showed love. Not surprisingly, I sketched Ted next to me. I stared at the picture for a moment, before crumpling it up.

I lay back on my bed, allowing tears to gush from my eyes. I was getting married—there was no more room for Ted in my portraits.


	13. Chocolate Frogs and Cheating

A/N: We're in the teens now! YAY! Thank you to everyone who reviewed--a million hugs & kisses to you all!

Disclaimer: I don't own at all.

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fan fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 30 and 75: Chocolate Frogs and Cheating_

* * *

My return to Hogwarts was a welcome respite from Mother, Father, and Bella--I couldn't wait to see Aggie and Ted again, and I even began feeling fond of Trisha and Sandra. My teachers' faces floated through my dreams, and the Great Hall often came to mind when I smelled the family house-elves cooking.

I arrived back nearly glowing, as Sarah told me. "You look scarily happy--What exactly did Lucius say to you before holidays?"

I nearly grimaced at the memory, but caught myself. "It's rather private, Sarah, I'm sorry." It came out stiffly, and soon she was gone.

Lulu approached the second I stepped from the train. "Andromeda," he called with a tiny, fake smile that turned into a leer.

"Lucius," I said formally, drawing near to him, but as far away as I could without making it odd or awkward.

"We must begin to have dates, Andromeda, our marriage cannot come without preamble." It was murmured in near disgust as he pretended to smile again.

I was revolted. "Why?" I asked, and it came as a whine.

He glared. "I said, we can't get married out of the blue."

"But why start now--so early?" I asked desperately.

"Andromeda, you must do as I say!" And then he gingerly took my hand and led me to a carriage.

"I'm sorry," I said, not sorry at all, "but I must sit with the Famous Five." I wrenched my hand from his with more force than necessary and stepped aloofly from the carriage.

"You were holding _Lucius Malfoy's _hand!" squealed Elizabeth when I arrived.

"What did he say?" Trisha asked eagerly.

"Are you going out now?" Sandra asked coolly, though I detected a hint of defeat behind her voice.

"How did you feel when he touched you? Were there electric shocks?" said Sarah, mooning and giggling, clearly thinking of heady romance novels.

"Yeah, I held his hand--He asked me to be his girlfriend--We're dating now--It was a bit awkward, to tell the truth," I said dully.

They stared at me, before they all broke out in giggles. "You are _so_ lucky!"

"I predicted that, didn't I?"

"How sweet--You must be planning your next Hogsmeade trip!"

"Why you? He hasn't shown much interest in you, no offense…"

I inwardly groaned as they prattled on, Trisha throwing extremely offense remarks at me that were apparently not meant to be; Elizabeth imagining herself in my place; Sarah nearly planning our wedding; and Sandra taking credit for random things and pretending not to care much.

I could feel girls' eyes on me when I walked into the Great Hall wearily. But I ignored them and allowed a smile to break out onto my face when I saw Ted and Aggie sitting at the Ravenclaw table and Dumbledore sitting with the rest of the staff.

"I knew you'd smile soon," Sarah said, grinning back at me and leading me to the Slytherin table.

I couldn't help but enjoy my food _especially_ today or keep my eyes from wandering to where my friends sat, laughing and joking and winking my way.

I felt as though I was cheating on Lucius by grinning at Ted every five seconds, but I really _couldn't_ stop myself. My eyes went of their own accord, and _Ted_ was the one who had started all this.

Besides, cheating on Lulu wasn't all that bad…

* * *

By the end of the feast, I'd nearly killed myself with wondering why I was winking and if I cared that I was cheating on my apparent boyfriend. Finally, I'd finished, and muttered some excuse to leave the Slytherin table. I stole away towards the Ravenclaw table and my friends.

"Hi!" I said cheerfully.

"Andy!" Aggie cheered, nearly making me fall over with her hug. "I missed you! Your owls were _never_ enough, and besides, you only sent one once every two or three weeks!" Her tone wasn't accusing--only joyful--and I couldn't stop myself from squeezing her back and grinning like a fool.

"I missed you too! It was my mum's fault--she kept saying that I wasn't owling the right people, and I was wasting ink. Whenever I could I wrote, though--I'm sorry they were so few and far between."

She waved her hand and beamed at me. "No matter. At least I can see you now, though!" The gulf between us in third year had totally ebbed away thanks to Ted, who during our entire reunion had hung back with a small smile.

Now he stepped forward and hugged me too, and I inhaled his sweet scent. "I missed you so much!" I said, and he agreed. When we pulled away, the three of us sat down and began to catch up.

"Something awful has happened," I said, lowering my voice.

"What?" Aggie asked, her smile faltering.

"I'm going out with Lucius Malfoy--and not by choice!" I wailed, and she gasped and hugged me again.

A shadow passed over Ted's face, and he knitted his brows. "_Malfoy_? He's a bastard!"

"I know!" I said. "We're getting married!" Finally, after weeks of pent-up emotion, I let it all go and explained everything to my two _real_ friends.

"What the _hell_ do you mean, Andy? Tell us everything," Aggie said, sounding outraged and worried.

"We were betrothed at birth! I know it's old-fashioned, but my mother and father are anything but avant-garde. He told me on the way home for summer holidays. Narcissa thinks he's sexy, and the Famous Five decided that, too! They're all jealous, but I'd do anything to stop this…"

Ted grabbed my hand and squeezed it, and Aggie made noises like an angry cat.

"Here," he said, "I got you a present." My other friend raised her eyebrows, but her cheeks stayed flushed and heated.

It was a simple bag of Chocolate Frogs, but it raised my spirits immensely.

"There's hope, Andy, there is. Just take it one by one--and share with your friends." With that speech and a reassuring smile, he reached in and took one. I giggled, and Aggie followed suit, also popping a Frog into her mouth.

"Thank you, Ted," I said, squeezing his hand back, and took one for myself.

Friends and Chocolate Frogs--recipe for happiness.


	14. Iridescent and Lakeside

A/N: This one is EXTREMELY fluffy. Sorry, I couldn't help it! And also very short…and also I've taken a long time to update…My greatest apologies!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

* * *

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fan fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 47 and 52: Iridescent, Lakeside_

* * *

Fourth year sped by in a blur. I felt two-faced—on one hand, I was the popular, Slytherin Famous, and on the other, I was the shy, fun-loving friend of Aggie and Ted.

Lucius became so unbearable that I was forced to break up with him one day in the common room. "_GO AWAY!" _I screamed. "This is _it_! I'm _done_ with you, Lucius Malfoy!"

He stood there, motionless, before sending me a harsh glare and hurrying back to his dorm. I would have to think of something to stop the marriage, but that would come later.

The days that went the quickest were the ones spent with Aggie and Ted. Aggie could make me laugh no matter what, and Ted was sweet and considerate--quickly becoming my favorite male in the castle.

It was the very last day fourth year. The Famouses were split up--Sandra flirting, Sarah with Bulstrode, Elizabeth hanging around with other friends, Trisha trailing after different people, and me with Aggie and Ted.

Aggie grinned at us. "I'll be right back--I'm going to get a head start on the Potions homework for September. You know how horrible I am with that!" She jumped up and, with a parting wave and a mouth of "Try and owl," to me, was gone.

Ted smiled at me. "So, Miss Andy, what are you doing this summer?"

"Suffering," I said, almost automatically.

He laughed. "Besides suffering."

"Hmm…" I pretended to be deep in thought. "Try to owl you and Aggie, and shake off Bella's glares, and try to ignore the fact that Cissy seems to hate me now…"

"Lots of trying, you know," he said thoughtfully, though I could feel the sympathy he felt in the air.

"Yeah. I guess I'm always trying." And with that, we were silent. We didn't need to fill up the empty space with meaningless words. We both just stared at the lake, smiling about our separate thoughts.

I hadn't realized it, but now I was right next to Ted—I'd inched my way nearer to him unconsciously. I think that it was also unconscious when he put his arm casually around me.

The lake seemed all the more beautiful at that moment, and everything seemed to sparkle. The day was iridescent, beautiful, sunny, and colorful. I hadn't noticed it before, but now—definitely. Most definitely iridescent.


	15. Hummingbird and Quidditch

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fan fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 48 and 60: Hummingbird and Quidditch_

* * *

"You _actually _owled!" Aggie was screeching when I popped into their apartment to say hi for a second. "You _actually_ did!"

"Shut up!" I said fiercely, checking outside the compartment. She only laughed gleefully.

"Chill, Andy, I'm only _really_ happy. I missed you _so_ much!" She jumped up and hugged me. I hugged her back, tightly. Despite my tough demeanor, it was sweet of her to love me so much, and I'd missed her too.

Ted hung back during the exchange, a smile playing on his lips and his arms casually folded over his chest. I couldn't help but remember the end of last year. The summer had been unbearable without my best friends, but now that we were together again it was a bit awkward.

"Hi, Andy," he said softly after Aggie released me.

"Hi, Ted!" I said brightly, hugging him. It was just an excuse to get him to put his arms around me again, but it _was_ nice to feel his head balanced on my shoulder.

"Can't stay long," I said when we'd broken apart, Ted's face a slight red and my ears burning--but hidden by my hair. "The Famouses are expecting me back. But I _missed _you guys! We've got to see each other more often this year to make up for the sucky summer. Sneak?"

"Oh, Ted and I came up with a code for that," said Aggie cheerfully. "Our secret meetings that are against the rules will now be called…"

Ted joined in quickly, smiling, "…The TA-TA Hour." He added, "T's for Ted, and the As are for you and Aggie. Like it?"

"Love it!" I said, trying not to be jealous. "I'll can't be back later, but I'll see you tonight for some TA-TA Hour time!"

That night, Ted and I met behind a tapestry, our special meeting-place. "Aggie's going to be late," he whispered, "because she's got to bring the stash!"

I laughed quietly. "What've we got today?"

"Food from dinner, naturally, with some cake and Silent Exploding Snap cards. They're _really_ expensive, but her uncle makes 'em. Gave some to her, and she had the bright idea to add them to the stash." His face was admiring, even in the near-dark, and I felt a familiar green feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I clear my throat and grin. "Guess what I brought?"

"No idea," he said.

"A hummingbird!" I reach into my pocket and produce the little thing, unmoving in my hand.

"Is it dead?"

"Of course not! I rescued it from Bella's clutches over the summer. Good times, good times." It was impossible not to hear the bitterness in my voice, and immediately I felt horrible for burdening him with my problems. "Sorry."

"No problem," he said, patting my arm almost absently. He stared at the bird in my hand, uncharacteristically still and quiet. "How?"

"It was just like that. Silent, unmoving, et cetera," I said, understanding his question. "Here, get a closer look." That's around the time when it happened--I extended my arm and leaned forward, when I realized I couldn't support myself against the tapestry. Swearing coarsely, I fell flailing towards the ground. But Ted grabbed my arm and hauled me up, causing both of us to fall with a deep _thump_, too quiet for anyone but us to hear. I lay across his chest, breathing deeply as he gasped under me.

"Thanks," I said, embarrassed. He nodded and looked at me, and suddenly I couldn't help it. I asked him out on the spot. "W-Will you go to the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff Quidditch game with me?"

* * *

"Going to the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff game today?" Cissy asked me at breakfast three days later.

I nodded and bit into a piece of toast as an excuse to focus on something else.

"With who?" she prompted, a smile on her face.

"N-No one. Alone. I dunno. Maybe. Who knows?" I shrugged and dropped my fork. Diving to get it, I met a boot underneath the table.

"Merlin!" Cissy screeched as I came up bleeding.

"I'm fine," I said, though I felt a little woozy.

"You _have_ to see Madam Pomfrey. That could kill you!"

"Right," I said sarcastically, but hurried away so as not to encounter any more awkward questions.

* * *

As I walked towards the Hospital Wing, I met a subdued Aggie, who swore when she saw my cut.

"How'd you get that?"

"Got kicked," I said, with no other explanation. "Why so depressed?"

She faked a smile. "I can't play this game. Mum wrote and told me I had to get a really high grade on my next Potions essay, and I can't play till I get that grade!" Aggie was the Chaser for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and she took it incredibly seriously. Potions, however, she'd long since decided was a joke. "But hey, I heard you and Ted _finally_ got together! Is that why you two were so red when I came with the stash Monday?"

I nodded, blushing and scuffing my shoe on the floor. "Who told you?"

"Ted did. He's ecstatic."

"Really?" I couldn't dare to believe it. I was sure he'd said yes to be polite.

"Of course! He's adored you for _years_! Oh, and he told me he's got to, erm, confess something…" She looked as confused as I did, and I decided not to press the issue.

"Thanks," I said. I headed on to the Hospital Wing, trying to guess what it was he needed to confess.

* * *

At the game that afternoon, Ted brought some food from the Kitchens and "a little something" he'd had just "lying around".

"Thanks!" I said, staring at the beautifully drawn picture of the hummingbird.

He blushed. "It was just…you know, nothing special."

I rolled my eyes but grinned. "It's perfect."

We watched the game for about twenty minutes before he turned to look at me. "Erm, Andy, I've got to tell you something."

"And what's that?" I asked, keeping my eye on the game due to nerves.

"I sent you that note on your thirteenth birthday." It came out as a rush, the words slurred together and nervous.

I snapped my head around and stared at him. "You _love_ me? You've loved me since we were _five_?"

* * *

A/N: I'm a horrible person...it's been months since I updated...You have permission to shoot me.

But as an FYI, this story may not be updated much over the next month, thanks to a lovely thing I like to call NaNoWriMo. If you've visited my profile recently, you'll see that I signed up for it in August. Now I'm really buckling down and outlining scene-to-scene and stuff...eek! (Tell me what your penname is, and I'll be sure to add you under "mustardgirl".)


	16. Pink and Masochistic

_Pure Blood_

_An Andromeda/Ted Fan fiction_

* * *

_Prompts 3 and 6: Pink and Masochistic_

* * *

Aggie stared at me.

"This is insane, Andy."

"I _know_!"

"What did you say?"

"Basically, _what the hell_? Then he got all embarrassed. You know how he gets weird like that! And then the game ended _so_ fast. He – God, Aggie, he kissed me on the cheek! But now he hasn't spoken to me all day!"

Aggie rubbed my back sympathetically. "You want to know something? He's barely said two words to me since the game. I asked him how it went – he said fine. I asked him how you were. 'Fine,' he says. Ugh!"

We stared at each other for a bit, and then I said, "I suppose he doesn't like me, then."

"Andy! He told you he's loved you since you were _five_, girl! And other people saw it! You have freakin' proof, and you _still _doubt it? You're so weird!"

I sighed. "I just don't know what to do."

We were in her dorm, sitting on her bed. Her dorm mates were out, and so it was safe for us. And Ted couldn't come up the girl's staircase. So we were out of harm's way.

"What are you going to do?" Aggie asked after a moment.

"I told you, I don't know!" I said, frustrated.

"That's _it_!" she said loudly. "This is ridiculous! You two skirting around each other like idiots is obnoxious! I'm going to talk to him!"

Appalled, I watched her leave. I couldn't tell if she was really going to do it or not. When she didn't come back, I scrambled up and hurried out of the room, then rushed up the boy's staircase. A couple of people were in the Common Room, and they gave me strange looks. I simply ignored them, something I was becoming good at.

I stopped short when I heard Aggie's firm voice. "Ted. You _have_ to talk to her!"

"I can't," came his voice. "I scared her so much, and now she can't _possibly_ like me back! She might have before. But not now!"

"I'm sick of you two doubting yourselves! You know what she just tol me? 'I suppose he doesn't like me, then.' Can you believe that? Theodore James Tonks, you had better get the hell off of your ass and ask the girl out! She's in _love_ with you!"

Furious, I stomped into the room. "Oh, spill all my secrets, why don't you?" I shrieked at her. "Why the _hell_ did you have to come up here anyway? What have we done to you?"

"You're my best friends! I'm so _tired_ of you two. You're in love with each other, but you're too scared to try for something more! Andy, you've always been jealous – yelling at me for spending more time with Teddy than you! Teddy, you've always been obsessed – asking me about Andy anytime we'd spent time together. I've _always_ been the go-to man, and now I give up on trying to let you two be! Kiss, why don't you? Kiss her, Teddy!"

And, to my surprise, he sprung off his bed and grabbed me, smashing his lips against my own. I responded immediately, burying my hands into his silky hair and shutting my eyes. I vaguely heard Aggie sigh in relief and slip out of the room, but I was too out of it to register it.

"You look – great." Ted was staring at me, his eyes round. I suppose I was just a bit more dolled up than usual, which was why he was so surprised. I was wearing an extremely painful headband that Aggie had fallen in love with – and _pink_. I always wore green – out of House pride, or habit, or both. Once in awhile I wore black, or silver. But never pink.

I smiled, all my pain wiped away at the sight of him. He was wearing a button-down polo and nice pants, and his hair was soft, tamer than usual.

"Thanks," I said shyly. He took my hand and led me into a small shop, with a wave from Aggie.

"I thought you might want this to be secret for – obvious reasons."

"Yes," I said gratefully, sitting down at a booth in the very back of the tiny, little-known Hogsmeade shop.

I ordered and then smiled at him. "How'd you find this place?"

"I've known it for awhile – Aggie and I discovered it our first Hogsmeade trip."

I grinned. "And now, about a zillion trips later…"

He laughed. "Yep. I still remember it. It's all up here." He tapped his head, and I grinned.

Almost two hours later, Ted checked his Muggle watch. "Oh Merlin!" he said. "Half past three."

"Oh, _wow_," I agreed. "We've been here for much longer than I thought!"

"Yeah, the time flew by, didn't it?" he said. He smiled at me. I slid out of the booth and stood up, him following suit.

"Thanks so much!" I said as he dropped some coins on the table. "This was really fun."

Unexpectedly, I leaned forward and kissed him, a long, slow kiss.

"Consider us even," he said, panting slightly.

I giggled and slipped my hand into his. I couldn't be happier.

* * *

A/N: I know I haven't updated in forever, and I'm really sorry! :(


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